Did you know that pediatric dental disease, also known as childhood tooth decay, is the #1 chronic childhood illness in America? Or that 1 in 5 U.S. children go without dental care? Or that more than 40% of children have dental cavities by the time they reach kindergarten?
I didn’t. Here at Change Gangs, we want to support charities that make a big impact on people’s lives, and it turns out that something as small as a toothbrush, can make a pretty big impact.
That’s because children with poor oral health are 3 times more likely to miss school as a result of dental pain. If they do go to school, the pain can make it difficult to pay attention and learn. And the feelings of shame and low self-esteem that children often feel when they have bad teeth can make it hard for them to fully participate in school and build the social skills that will help them succeed as adults. Because a good education is one of the most important factors influencing future employment prospects and lifetime earning ability, poor dental health as a child can impact his or her entire life.
Untreated childhood dental disease also has serious long-term health consequences and has been connected to heart disease, stroke, pulmonary disease, and pre-term, low birth-weight babies. In 2012, someone visited the ER every 15 seconds for an emergency dental condition.
It’s Happening on February 26th!
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month which makes it the perfect time to tackle this problem.
Thanks to Delta Dental of Colorado, Nanci Garnand of Re/Max, and the Loveland Design Center, we have 55,000 toothbrushes that we’ll line up end to end for a record breaking 5.5 mile long line of toothbrushes. Don’t worry, the toothbrushes are individually wrapped, so they will stay clean, sanitary, and suitable for donation.
After we break the record, the toothbrushes will be disbursed to food banks and children’s organization throughout the state of Colorado.
Are you an organization serving children who would like to receive toothbrushes? Click here to contact us.
Will you help?
We have toothbrushes, but it would be amazing to provide toothpaste to go with it. For just $19.25 you can send a tube of toothpaste to 60 children. How many children will you help?
Want to volunteer?
Oh, and if you’re in the Northern Colorado area and want to volunteer, we’ll need help the day of the event to lay the toothbrushes and document our efforts. Click here to contact us.
Spread the word!
We’re spending the entire month of February spreading the word about the importance of dental hygiene for children and how people can help children in need get access to better dental care, so if you have a podcast, radio, or tv show, we’d love to be your guest.
Share this post with others. Let them know that children’s oral health care is critical to a child’s well-being, and if you’re a Colorado parent and in need of assistance for your child’s dental care, check out these resources.
Delta Dental of Colorado Medicare Providers
Delta Dental Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+)Providers
Colorado Dental Association Low Cost Clinics
Your Help Makes A Difference
Click the Donate Toothbrushes button below. Your gift goes directly to providing toothpaste to a child in need.